State justice denies improper use of political funds

Published 6:00 pm, Monday, January 21, 2008

Texas Supreme Court Justice Paul Green has denied an accusation by a judicial watchdog group that he improperly used campaign funds to reimburse his mileage expenses.

Texas Watch, a group that monitors the Texas Supreme Court and civil justice issues, filed a complaint Tuesday with the Texas Ethics Commission alleging Green has used political contributions to pay for commuting between San Antonio and the court in Austin.

Using political contributions for personal use is against state law, and the Texas Ethics Commission has interpreted the law to ban appellate judges from using campaign donations to pay the costs of commuting between the judge's home city and the city where the court is located.

Green said Monday that he has lived at an Austin apartment since March 2005, but he drives to San Antonio often on different types of business. He said he still owns a house in San Antonio. He said he was aware of the ban on using campaign funds for commuting.

"I'm invited, as we all are, to go to various places to speak at seminars," Green said. "Coming from San Antonio, I get lots of requests from the local bar, young lawyers, law school, any number of school groups to come in and visit."

Alex Winslow, executive director of Texas Watch, said Green paid himself $16,761 for 272 separate trips between Austin and San Antonio over the past three years.

Green listed the destination of two of those trips as a court retreat in 2005, but the rest listed no specific purpose, Winslow said.

Green's most recent campaign finance report, filed Jan. 15 with the Texas Ethics Commission, listed his address as a post office box in San Antonio. Before joining the Supreme Court in January 2005, Green served on the Fourth Court of Appeals in San Antonio.

Texas Watch has also notified the Travis County District Attorney's office of the complaint.

"The volume of trips between Austin and San Antonio, literally several times a week, raises doubts in my mind that he's going to speak to the Rotary Club," Winslow said. "I find that very hard to believe."

Also Monday, Supreme Court Justice David Medina's lawyer said the judge will repay political funds that he used for commuting between Houston and Austin. Attorney Terry Yates said Medina had received incorrect advice from an accountant when he used the campaign funds.

"With numerous criminal investigations, ethical lapses, and questions about the court's integrity and ability to be impartial, the entire Texas Supreme Court is under a cloud of scandal," Winslow said.